


White Wine

by beachbby



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sleeping Beauty AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachbby/pseuds/beachbby
Summary: Aphrodite has an idea of how to aid Zagreus in his romantic endeavors. All Zagreus has to do is simply fall asleep.-Than/Zag/Meg Sleeping Beauty au
Relationships: Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus/Megaera (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 249





	1. i'll be yours and you'll be mine

When Aphrodite revealed herself to him, he was in Elysium. 

He grinned, the sight of the pink wisps surrounding her boon was enough to raise his spirits by itself. He moved, shifting his grip on his blade as he reached out for the boon, the warmth of it spreading across his hand in a pink wave as a distant titter filled the clearing. 

“Hello, Lady Aphrodite,” he said, watching idly as the boon dissolved across his skin in a sea of glitter. 

“Hello, Zagreus, dear,” her voice rang out through the clearing, still distant, but sounding closer. “I see that you’ve been quite busy in regards to that little death god of yours, how delightful.” She cooed, continuing before Zagreus could even hope to be embarrassed. “And perhaps even that fury I’ve witnessed you with on occasion, it’s all very sweet.” 

He huffed out a laugh, unable to keep a smile from toying at the corner of his lips. “Thank you, lady Aphrodite, I believe that it’s all very sweet as well.” It was in his nature to be cheeky, and Aphrodite’s light giggle made it clear that she didn’t mind. 

Aphrodite continued to speak, still keeping her boons close to her, not wanting to gift them quite yet, and Zagreus found that he didn’t mind too terribly much. “It’s all been going quite slow though, from what I can see up here. Relationships normally move fairly fast in Olympus, it seems as if you’re taking your time!” Another light laugh, and Zagreus still grinned, more amused than anything else. Perhaps if he wasn’t too concerned about potential offense when it came to the recipients of his interests, he’d be more proactive. 

He wasn’t too terribly concerned, however. If they wanted to take their time then he would oblige them as best he could. 

“I mostly just do what feels right, Lady Aphrodite.” He said, idly scanning the clearing to be sure no other shades would feel the need to make their presence known. 

It was calm, though, peaceful, as Aphrodite began speaking again, her voice nothing more than a gentle coo. “I do have plans, though, dear Zagreus. I’d hate for you to take too long to find love for yourself.” She said, and he raised a brow, letting her continue. “Let me handle it from here, dearest, you’ll be able to thank me later.” He straightened, not exactly liking the sound of that, and had to steady himself when the same warmth from before spread through his entire body, heavy and insistent. 

“Lady Aphrodite-“ he began, stumbling over his words as his head grew heavy, eyes going half-lidded as the sensations grew more intense, as if he was truly struggling to keep from falling asleep. 

“There we go, dear, just close your eyes.” Aphrodite purred, her voice warm and welcoming as Zagreus’s head began feeling as if it’d been stuffed with cotton. 

He murmured something, nonsensical even to himself, as his body swayed, legs trembling as they gave out underneath him, Aphrodite letting out a pleased noise from _somewhere_ as his eyes fell shut. 

The last thing he heard before he slumped fully on the grounds of Elysium, his surroundings slowly growing dark, was another short series of giggles from Aphrodite, the goddess sounding terribly amused. 

-

Thanatos hadn’t seen Zagreus for a few days, or well, what qualified as days if he judged time by the same way mortals did. 

More times than not, Zagreus would manage to gather his attention by himself. He was easy to detect as he tore his way through the underworld, the defeated shades he left behind were more than enough for Thanatos to find him whenever he wished. 

There hadn’t been much of that for a while, though, and he had no idea why. 

He’d initially thought that Zagreus had finally taken a rest, perhaps even given up on his mission to leave the underworld, but a quick as around the house of Hades didn’t answer his questions. If anything, they only served to create more. 

Hypnos had been entirely unhelpful, as he always was. Nyx, though, hadn’t been able to direct him towards Zagreus either, and neither had Megaera. 

It was interesting, different enough from how everything had gone before, and he was intrigued enough by everything that he gave in and went searching for the prince himself. 

Popping between the different realms wasn’t much of a struggle for him, he was able to talk to Charon, at least, the boatman pointing him in the direction of Elysium when he’d asked if he’d seen Zagreus and, finally, Thanatos was getting somewhere. 

It was embarrassing, almost, the lengths he was going through to search for Zagreus after only missing him for a few days. Something, though, felt different about this. 

The verdant fields of Elysium were as beautiful, as inviting as always, and he began his search anew. 

The gentle sounds of the river around him were calming, soothing and kind, and when he _finally_ caught a glimpse of Zagreus’s telltale red clothing, relief filled him. 

Zagreus didn’t shift from where he lay on the ground as he drew closer, despite the death toll making it blatantly clear that he’d arrived. It was hard to keep from being a bit irritated, Thanatos feeling oddly stung at the lack of notice. Zagreus had always been the type to greet him whenever he arrived and Thanatos found that he didn’t quite like when that wasn’t the case. 

However, when he drew closer, and saw the haphazard way Zagreus had thrown his blade to the side, an odd feeling of foreboding filled him. “Zagreus,” Thanatos said, drawing ever closer and dropping to the earth, a rare enough occurrence that it was enough to make him feel off balance. 

Zagreus made no sound, even when Thanatos leaned down to meet him. He eyed Zagreus’s face, taking in the gentle expression that crossed it, and felt something twinge in his chest at the soft exhale the prince let out. Ah, so he’d fallen asleep after an encounter, hm? Perhaps his constant refusal of rest had finally caught up to him at the worst of times. 

He eyed the way Zagreus’s laurels continued to burn, a slight crackling sound coming from them as the leaves burned and drifted around the space, blowing out into ash before landing on the surrounding grass. Relief filled him as Zagreus slept on, the light breaths that drifted out from his partially opened mouth ruffled the nearby grass, and Thanatos felt a bit silly at all his concern. 

“Zagreus,” he said, voice dry as the prince slept on, chest slowly rising and falling with his breaths as he made up for the blatant lack of sleep he’d allowed himself ever since he’d started his mission to leave the underworld. 

Thanatos sighed, reaching a hand down to press chilled fingertips to Zagreus’s warm skin, waiting for the prince to wake up with a startle. 

And yet, Zagreus slept on, the gentle pulse of his blood underneath Thanatos’s fingertips was comforting, but not quite what he’d been looking for. “Zagreus, wake up,” he said, moving to shake the prince awake, not harsh, but insistent, an uncomfortable feeling making him grimace when Zagreus did nothing beyond shift with Thanatos’s movements. 

He shifted to sit on his knees, folding his legs underneath himself as he set down his scythe, reaching to wake Zagreus up with both hands, as was apparently necessary. 

“Come now, Zagreus, you are being childish.” He chided underneath his breath, trying to jostle him awake, the uncomfortable feeling from before coming back with a vengeance as Zagreus remained unmoving beyond his continued breaths. 

Zagreus’s laurels continued to make the soft cracking noises as they burned, and for the first time, Thanatos felt concern burn in his chest. 

A thin breath left him, and he scanned Zagreus’s body, looking for any sign of harm. He had no idea how to feel when he saw that there seemed to be nothing wrong. 

From what he could see, Zagreus had fallen asleep and simply not woken back up. 

“If you don’t wake up, I’m taking you back to your room.” He threatened lowly, knowing just how much Zagreus loathed to lose progress. His words went ignored, through what seemed to be no fault of Zagreus’s own, and he sighed. Bracing himself, he slipped an arm underneath Zagreus’s shoulders, scooping the upper half of his body up off the floor. 

Thanatos let out a tightly controlled breath when Zagreus’s head slipped, dropping forward and getting caught in the junction between Thanatos’s head and shoulder. He was distantly grateful for the armor that protected his own neck. 

It was hard to keep from complaining to himself as he moved to scoop up Zagreus beneath his knees, the prince as small as ever in his arms. Thanatos was grateful for that fact. As much as Hypnos enjoyed to tease Zagreus for being smaller than them all, Thanatos found that he enjoyed the prince’s diminutive height. “You’re lucky I’m not leaving your sword here,” he said, unable to keep the irritation from his voice as he moved to grab both it and his scythe, struggling a bit to balance it all. 

Zagreus let out a heavy sigh as Thanatos stood, and he paused, listening closely as his breathing evened back out. 

Well, he would leave, then. Best not to dawdle here where shades could see the god of death seemingly cradle the prince of the underworld in his arms. Thanatos feared that the drama would spread like wildfire. 

Just before he went to teleport back to the house of Hades, he was sure that he heard a distant giggle in the faraway fields of Elysium, but he wasn’t sure.


	2. yeah, I need your skull, bitch, hang it on my wall

Zagreus’s room was as untidy as ever, and Thanatos sighed at the sight of it. “Here we are,” he said, talking to no one but himself as he laid their weaponry on the floor, able to juggle Zagreus easier once he did. 

He shifted the prince, balancing his weight more heavily on one arm as he used his other to pull the thick duvet back, revealing the cushiness of Zagreus’s unused mattress. “Let’s hope that your feet don’t burn through the sheets,” he said, unable to keep the bite from his words as they remained unanswered beyond Zagreus’s gentle breathing. 

His dark hair tickled at Thanatos’s jawline, and he let out a strained sigh, situating Zagreus in his arms again as he laid the prince down on the mattress. 

Despite his irritation at the situation, he took the time to lay him down in a way that looked the least uncomfortable, not knowing the way in which Zagreus preferred to sleep, the prince too busy ransacking the underworld to take the time to nap. 

He felt stupid, almost, as he propped Zagreus’s head on the pillows and drew the blood-red duvet over his chest, taking an extra moment to pull off the more uncomfortable-looking portions of his armor. The skulls were especially unfortunate, Thanatos wasn’t the biggest fan. 

Once he was content with the way Zagreus was laid up, he grabbed their weaponry again, moving to lean Zagreus’s sword against the wall as he idly thumbed at the handle of his scythe. 

One last look at Zagreus, and he teleported. 

The front hall of the house was always bustling, and he took a sort of satisfaction in the way he managed to both disperse the nearby shades and make Hypnos startle, the god almost dropping his things to the floor as Thanatos watched, and waited, for him to finish. 

Hypnos let out a flurry of his giggles, the sound of it high and reedy as he looked at where Thanatos was hovering, light confusion in his eyes. “Hey, Thanatos! Was there anything you needed? You don’t normally have time to chat like this!” It was embellished with another laugh and Thanatos sighed, already irritated. 

Zagreus’s sleep had been unnatural. He wouldn’t put it past Hypnos to have been the one to do this as some poorly thought out joke. “What did you do to Zagreus?” He asked, deadpan, keeping an ear out for their _delightful_ boss that seemed to be out at the moment. 

His brother gave him a _look_ , as if he wasn’t quite sure what Thanatos was talking about. “To Zagreus? Nothing!” Thanatos wasn’t buying it. Hypnos crossed one of his legs over the other, holding the quill in his hands and idly marking names from his list. “Aren’t you looking for him? You mentioned something about that a while ago. I’m afraid I have no idea where the dearest prince is! I’ve been missing him! He hasn’t been chewed up by rats recently enough to even make the front page of the list!” Hypnos giggled to himself and Thanatos forced himself to find some remaining amount of restraint. 

“Hypnos,” he ground out, having to take a deep breath to steady himself when Hypnos gave him an idly amused look. “If you have nothing to do with this issue, then come with me to Zagreus’s room. There’s something I need a bit of help with.” 

That, at least, seemed to interest his brother. 

“Aren’t you a stickler about work and everything? What, you want me to ditch my _job_ to come to the prince’s room with you?” Hypnos asked, voice light and lilting in the way it always was when he tried to irritate Thanatos. He still followed Thanatos, though, despite him not even dignifying that with a response. 

The way back to Zagreus’s room was short, and Thanatos couldn’t help but feel even more confused when his mother wasn’t at her spot in the hallway. 

Orpheus was still tucked into his corner, staring at his instrument with baleful eyes, and Thanatos felt that it would be better for him to save himself the trouble of talking to him. He was a pain to deal with. Not to mention the fact that he’d have no idea at all about what they were working through. 

Hypnos’s humming stopped as they entered Zagreus’s room, and Thanatos could feel his brother’s confusion at the sight of Zagreus in his bed. “The prince is asleep for once? How interesting!” Hypnos said, voice bright, and Thanatos moved to look at him, watching the way Hypnos’s face fell the longer he focused on Zagreus. Something uncomfortable shifted inside him at the sight of the change. 

“There may be something wrong with him,” Thanatos said, watching as Hypnos floated closer to the prince, nearing his face, staring at it with an intensity that was unfamiliar to his normally air-headed brother. “Is something the matter?” He asked as Hypnos’s brows furrowed, quill idly moving in his hands as he fidgeted with it. 

“Who did this to him?” Hypnos asked, new concern in his voice, and Thanatos stiffened, having to stop himself from openly flinching at that. 

“What do you mean _“who”?_ ” He asked, moving to stand by his brother’s side, a thin sort of relief filling him at the sight of Zagreus still sleeping, still _alive._

Hypnos gave him another look before moving to run a thin hand through Zagreus’s hair, as if petting him. Thanatos could see the concern in the lines of his face. Despite his constant gentle teasing of the prince, everybody knew that the pair of them were close. It was fair that he was worried on behalf of him. “This sleep is, well, unnatural.” Hypnos said, after a moment, his fingers dancing over where Zagreus’s laurels burned. 

Thanatos gave him time to speak, knowing that trying to force words from Hypnos when he was thinking hard would only prolong the process. 

“He’s not dreaming,” Hypnos said, eventually, face shifting and turning more distressed than before, and Thanatos let out a breath, not knowing what that meant for Zagreus. “I can normally feed dreams to people and change them that way, but not now, not with Zagreus.” 

He looked down at Zagreus’s slack expression, open and almost sweet in his sleep, and was, at the very least, relieved that he didn’t seem to be suffering in any way. “Are you able to wake him up?” He asked, jaw dropping the slightest bit as Hypnos _scowled,_ the expression looking utterly foreign on him. 

“I’ve been trying ever since I realized he wasn’t dreaming,” Hypnos said, and Thanatos swallowed, looking down at Zagreus’s unchanged face. 

He seemed to be entirely dead to the world, but at least if he were dead, than Thanatos would be able to bring him back. This odd half-stage was making him uneasy. 

“Hey,” Hypnos said, and Thanatos looked back at him, not knowing what to think of the uncharacteristically serious look on his brother’s face, the bright attitude from before entirely gone. “Do you think you’d be able to kill him? He can come back in the pool and explain what this is about after he comes back.” 

And Thanatos breathed, watching as Hypnos winced, the request almost unfathomable. 

“I’m only asking because I don’t know when he’s going to wake up otherwise.” 

It made sense, it did, but that didn’t mean that he enjoyed it. Thanatos sighed, moving to Zagreus’s side as Hypnos floated away, watching him with newly sharp eyes. “This isn’t ideal.” He said, Hypnos letting out an uneasy hum as Thanatos held his scythe, bringing it near Zagreus’s resting face. “I suppose I can, if there’s nothing else we can do.”

He didn’t have much of a choice here, if it meant that there was a possibility for him to bring Zagreus back. 

Thanatos had to shut his eyes when he drew it down on him, the open vulnerability of Zagreus’s sleeping face was a lot on a normal day. But to be drawing his own weapon against his defenseless friend, well, it didn’t bode well. 

Hypnos made a noise as Thanatos felt his scythe sink into flesh, and he only looked back down when he heard the death toll ring in his head. 

Zagreus’s blood was still entirely too red for comfort. 

“You’re bringing him with me,” he said, moving to pick Zagreus’s body up from the bed, having to pull back the duvet he’d draped over him in the first place in order to do so. He steadily refused to look directly at the prince’s carcass. Hypnos fluttered around him as he gathered him into his arms, the anxiety his brother was radiating was palpable. 

The shades in the front hall scattered at the sight of them all, and Thanatos was grateful for it. 

Zagreus was a small weight in his arms when he neared the pool, his demure size less amusing now and more tragic, almost. 

Thanatos let out a breath as he gently lowered him into the red blood of the styx, refusing to get the mess of it on his own clothing. This was, in the broadest sense, the same as the other times he lowered the prince into the river, but it felt far different this time. 

He watched, a sick feeling pooling low in his stomach as Zagreus’s wound healed, as his chest began moving again, but his eyes remained shut. 

Hypnos broke the sudden silence with a small sentence, voice lilting in the way it always did whenever he was unsure of something. “I don’t think it worked,” it hadn’t, and Thanatos had killed Zagreus for nothing. 

A sigh left him, and he felt entirely too weary for this all. 

“I’m taking him back to his room, then.” He said, reaching down and pulling the prince back into his arms, the blood of the styx sluicing from his skin before it could stain Thanatos’s clothing. Hypnos was still hovering around, just barely giving him enough space to work, as if he needed to watch Thanatos’s every movement.

Zagreus was still entirely too quiet, his soft breathing the only sounds coming from him, and Thanatos swallowed harshly.

It wasn’t as if Zagreus was ever loud, but he was talkative, chatty, one of the few members of the house that was always willing to speak. To have him be so quiet was painful, in a way. 

The journey back to his room was silent, Hypnos not bothering to narrate or comment on anything, almost sedated compared to how he normally was. Thanatos knew that it was a sign of concern, he truly did, but it didn’t feel the best. 

Zagreus’s room hadn’t changed from when they’d last been in it, and this time, Hypnos was the one to draw Zagreus’s sheets back, giving Thanatos the space to lay him down again. 

His throat felt oddly tight as he set Zagreus down, his eyes still closed, his body still entirely unresponsive. 

“Let me,” Hypnos said, and Thanatos shifted, allowing his brother to move forward and pull the blankets overtop the prince, his movements oddly efficient as he tucked him back in. 

He supposed that it came with the territory, being the god of sleep and all, but watching the quick way Hypnos situated him made Thanatos feel incompetent. 

“I found him in Elysium,” he spoke, not liking the silence stretching between them. Hypnos paused, briefly, continuing his ministrations when Thanatos began again. “I’d assumed his lack of sleep caught up to him at an unfortunate time, but I suppose that isn’t the case.” That, at least, managed to draw a laugh from his brother. 

“Nope! This is entirely unnatural.” Hypnos said, forced cheer in his voice as he lightly touched Zagreus’s face, situating his neck in a way that would prevent discomfort. “Some shade up there must’ve been pretty mad at him to do this!” Interesting. 

“Can you tell if it’s a form of poison, or magic that’s causing this?” He pressed, something twisting in his chest at the way Hypnos’s shoulders hunched inward. 

Finally, his brother spoke, but not before drawing his blanket tighter around himself, as if it were a sort of shield. “No, just that it’s not a normal form of rest.” A pause, Thanatos eyed the way Hypnos’s fingers tightened marginally from where they were gripping at the folds of his blanket. “He’s not in pain either, from what I can tell.” 

Thanatos hadn’t even considered the idea that Zagreus may be in _pain._

He drew in a breath, words stuttering in his throat when a new voice came from the doorway of the room, a dark rasp. “What’s happening in here?” It was Megaera. He hadn’t even heard her footsteps as she’d arrived. 

Hypnos made a small sound, not vocalizing anything beyond that, and Thanatos sighed. It looked as if he’d have to be the one who explained this. He turned, eyeing the way Megaera had crossed her arms, looking entirely unamused as she stared them down. “I was unaware that there was to be a meeting in Zagreus’s room today.” Thanatos would consider her voice to be accusatory if that wasn’t simply how she always sounded. 

“I found Zagreus,” he said, watching the way her eyes widened, marginal enough to go unnoticed if he hadn’t been paying attention. 

She moved up to join them, a breath leaving her at the sight of Zagreus’s slack expression where he laid on the bed. “And he’s asleep?” She asked, an edge of irritation to her voice. 

Hypnos spoke before Thanatos could, and he had to stop himself from raising a brow. 

“Yes, and he’s not waking up.” 

_That_ managed to get her attention, at least. She shifted to look at them, an almost unreadable look on her face as she motioned to Zagreus’s form. “What happened to him? Did he get cursed out there in Asphodel?” 

He shook his head, the slightest movement. His eyes strayed down towards Zagreus, instead of at Megaera, as he spoke. “I found him in Elysium. He must have been sleeping for days before I happened across him.” 

Zagreus said nothing, another sleep-heavy breath leaving him as silence settled over them all once again. 

Megaera, instead of speaking, made a sound in the back of her throat. Thanatos watched, chest tightening, as she leaned down the slightest bit, and drew the pads of her fingers across Zagreus’s cheekbone, as if testing to see if they were being truthful. 

And, as was becoming a painfully common occurrence, Zagreus remained unmoving. 

Another silence fell over them all, no one knowing what to say to break it, until Megaera spoke, her voice a bit raspier than normal. “We should report this to Lady Nyx.” His _mother,_ oh Thanatos knew she wasn’t going to appreciate this new turn of events. 

The nervous giggle Hypnos let out made it clear that he thought the same. 

Alright, well, it wasn’t as if ignoring this situation would make it any better. “Let’s find her, then,” Thanatos said, his voice sounding small even to himself as the other two made sounds of agreement. 

And in between them all, Zagreus slept on, his gentle breathing entirely unchanged despite everything that had happened since his return back to the house. Thanatos was beginning to sorely miss his constant commentary. 

Hopefully Nyx would be able to shed some light on the situation at hand, Thanatos had no idea what they would do about it otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm I don't rlly update during weekdays normally but Hades is just special I guESS 
> 
> And here we are! The brothers are freaking, but managing to stay calm, mostly, and meg's here! Awesome! Zagreus is still teeny tiny as he should be, and Than is having feelings, what a fucking loser. 
> 
> These chapter titles are progressively getting worse and we are only on chapter two so buckle in y'all. this one is from 'broken barbie doll' by punkinloveee


	3. Chapter 3

Locating his mother turned out to be more of an issue than previously thought. 

He had no idea if it had anything to do with the current situation, but she wasn’t in any of the halls, and Thanatos already knew that there was slim chance for her to be in the lounge. Hades, as well, he wasn’t anywhere to be found. 

He would be more willing to wait for them to return if Hypnos wasn’t currently looking as if he was about to lose his mind from stress. Megaera as well, she was far less blatant than Hypnos was, but Thanatos could still tell that she was more concerned than she let on. It was difficult to keep a level head, and Thanatos found himself struggling as well. 

It wasn’t everyday that Zagreus was actually afflicted by something. He bounced back every time something happened to him, this was just, well, unusual. 

Something about the way Zagreus’s face fell slack, how he was entirely unresponsive, was uncomfortable. Thanatos wasn’t a fan. 

“Do you think Achilles might know how to fix it?” Hypnos asked, still worrying the quill between his fingers, small blotches of ink beginning to stain the pads of his fingers. Thanatos paused, mulling it over in his head for a brief moment as Megaera spoke, crossing her arms over her chest in a near-defensive way. 

“It can’t do any harm to ask him if he’s familiar with this.” The rasp of her voice was comforting, at least. Dry and familiar enough that it managed to soothe the worst of their unruffled feathers. 

Thanatos sighed, letting out a breath that did nothing to ease his worries. “Perhaps it’s an overworld affliction. I wouldn’t put it past Zagreus to have gotten himself in some sort of mess with the denizens of Elysium. They may have done something to him that we’re unfamiliar with.” 

Megaera made a noise deep in the back of her throat, neither an approval nor a denial, just to acknowledge his words. It was Hypnos that spoke, his fidgeting growing more idle as he calmed down. “It must be something new, then, if this hasn’t been an issue before.” There wasn’t much they could say to that, and with Megaera’s frustrated grimace, it was clear that she was annoyed by it. 

“Well, it’s best we go find him, then.” He said, turning to give Zagreus another look, some part of him disliking the idea of leaving him again, even if only to find Achilles. An idle thought crossed his mind before they started out again, and he spoke once more, having to hide the grimace that threatened to come out. “Let’s attempt to avoid Cerberus, the poor dog can’t handle any more stress in regards to the prince.” 

He knew Megaera quite liked the lounge, it would be a shame if the grieving beast tore it up in his sorrow. 

She let out a low grumble and Thanatos could understand. 

The walk to Achilles’s alcove didn’t take too long, and the shade gave them a pleasant, if guarded, smile when they caught his eye. Thanatos could imagine that it would be a bit intimidating to see the three of them walk up, and he had to give him credit where it was due. 

“Achilles,” he began with a short nod, the shade giving him another smile, this one a bit more genuine than the last. 

“Hello, lad, is there something the matter? It isn’t everyday that you three wish to speak with me, let alone at the same time.” Right to the point, Thanatos could respect that. 

“It involves Zagreus.” He said, Achilles’s eyes widening just a bit, an air of concern to him now as he gripped his lance a bit tighter in his hands. 

Hypnos made a small sound behind him, and Thanatos resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was serious, he couldn’t let his brother’s antics distract him. Achilles spoke, this time lower, more serious, quiet enough that Cerberus was unable to hear. “Is there something the matter with the prince? The lad hasn’t been around for the past few days, but I had assumed-“ Achilles trailed off, finishing his sentence with a slight hand gesture, and Thanatos sighed again, feeling the effects of his age all at once. 

He could tell already that talking about this would not become easier with time. 

“It seems as if he’s become afflicted with something. We were curious as to whether or not you would be able to tell what the issue is.” 

Achilles gave him a grave look, face serious as he answered. “Lead the way, then, lad. Let’s take a look. Hopefully it isn’t anything too concerning.” Well, Thanatos didn’t have much hope left at this point, it seemed as if this issue was only going to spiral further. He nodded, though, polite, shifting and gesturing for Hypnos and Megaera to lead the way back to Zagreus’s chambers. 

One of Cerberus’s heads made a small noise as they passed, a gentle snort that was muffled partially by the new pillow Zagreus had recently purchased for him, and Thanatos’s chest felt tight, for a moment. 

He exhaled, the lump in his throat refusing to go down, and felt little relief when they made it back to Zagreus’s room, the reminder of why they were all concerned was still laying in his bed, unmoving. 

He would never grow more used to that, it just wasn’t _normal_. 

Achilles made a soft noise, of wonder more than anything, and Thanatos watched closely as the shade walked up to Zagreus, movements gentle, as if worried that he may startle the sleeping prince. “He’s asleep?” Achilles asked, voice hushed, and Thanatos resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They’d been over this before. 

“It’s an unnatural sleep,” he said, at the same time Hypnos spoke, sounding the smallest bit hysterical. 

“He’s not waking up, I can’t wake him up.” 

He supposed that it would be upsetting to Hypnos, more so than normal. Thanatos didn’t want to imagine how it must feel for Zagreus to be afflicted by something of his element and him being unable to do anything. 

At least, when he died, there were no issues, and Thanatos was able to take care of it easily enough. If Zagreus stayed permanently dead- he didn’t even want to consider that. 

“How interesting,” Achilles breathed, sidling up to the side of Zagreus’s bed, looking closer at the prince’s face, as if investigating him. An exhale left Zagreus, louder this time, and Thanatos felt Megaera stiffen from where she was standing next to him. The moment passed, though, Zagreus remaining asleep as Achilles began speaking again. 

“Where did you all find him? Surely the lad hasn’t been in his quarters this entire time.” 

Thanatos spoke, trying to wrack his mind for any sort of important detail that may allow Achilles to come up with a new solution. “Elysium. He was found in Elysium. It was as if he’d just collapsed where he stood, his sword was lying on the ground next to him.” That earned him another sound, the shade looking thoughtful as he shifted the grip on his lance. 

Zagreus was as silent as ever, the awkward pause in between them all seeming all the more apparent as he wasn’t there to fill the silence with some inane comment. 

Hypnos babbled after a moment of it, apparently feeling the same awkwardness that Thanatos did. “He’s not dreaming, I mean, who doesn’t dream during a natural-seeming sleep? I’ve tried everything to wake him up, but nothing works! Thanatos even tried offing him to see if that worked, and it did nothing!” 

He didn’t ignore the way Megaera stiffened at that, and he knew she would be having words with him later. She had an entire _thing_ about Zagreus only being a good victim because of how dogged he was in his attempts to try again. 

It felt like cheating to do anything when he was entirely unable of responding beyond breathing. 

Achilles made a noise, thoughtful, bringing his free hand up to his chin as he peered down at Zagreus’s form. The crackling of his laurels was the only sound between them all for a moment, before Achilles began again. “You say not even two Gods are able to bring him back to awareness?” It wasn’t any sort of jab against them, but that didn’t stop it from feeling as if it was. 

“No,” Thanatos said, having to try to keep the bite from his voice. 

Achilles, was uncaring, allowing him his moment of anger. “Perhaps, then, would it be possible that this is due to the interference of another God?” His voice was gentle, a soft prompt in the correct direction, and Thanatos felt as if he’d been slapped across the face. The mood in the room shifted at that, turning dark. He stared down at Zagreus, at how he seemed entirely peaceful, but lost from them at the same time. Another God having done this- “I’m only suggesting because it seems a bit odd that two Gods and a fury are unable to rouse the prince by themselves. It’s, well, unusual, I suppose. Especially you, Thanatos, you’re especially thorough. I don’t believe I can remember a time when you were out-tricked by someone that wasn’t of Godly origin.”

_He_ could. Sisyphus’s trickery still stung, despite being a long age ago. 

But that wasn’t the issue here, Achilles _did_ have a point. 

“Chthonic or Olympian?” Megaera asked, after a moment, her voice seeming almost, uneasy? 

Achilles sighed and shifted away from the prince’s bedside, allowing Hypnos the space to flutter over there and anxiously hover. “I have no theories as to who it may be.” His voice was low and comforting, despite being entirely devastating. “He was found in Elysium, so there’s a chance it may be Chthonic. However, the lad _has_ been getting aid from the Olympians. It’s not impossible that perhaps they may have had a hand in this all.” 

Thanatos _loathed_ the sound of that. The Olympians were notoriously difficult. He almost hoped for the betrayal of it being a Chthonic deity, at least then they would all be able to get a hand on them and wring a cure from them. 

“Do you have any idea where lady Nyx is?” Megaera asked, furthering Achilles along, allowing them scarce time to absorb the new information. 

Achilles hummed, the sound of it comforting despite everything occurring right now. “Not right now, no. Her and the lord seem to be out right now. They’ve left Cerberus here, from what you could see, so I presume that they will be back shortly.” Hypnos leaned down to adjust the folds of Zagreus’s duvet, and Achilles carried on. “There’s a chance they may already know what has occurred, and be attempting to fix it. It would be beneficial to check in with them once they return.” 

The wording of that was extremely careful, and Thanatos couldn’t help but have respect for it. Of course Achilles wouldn’t want any sort of direct involvement to be traced to him. Shades could very much be banished, thrown to Tartarus if they angered Hades enough. It was far harder to do that to them. Hades would, at the very least, expect pushback from that. 

“Let’s wait, then.” Thanatos said, ignoring the steadily increasing guilt of having abandoned his post for this long. 

He could already hear the souls wailing above but, well, they were going to have to wait for a few moments. 

The son of Hades apparently having been afflicted by some sort of God-based illness was an issue that demanded the utmost attention, and Thanatos would give it that. Not to mention, well, it was his friend there, unresponsive on his bed. He would allow himself this moment of selfishness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still a little slow! But things,, are beginning to happen! Amazing!
> 
> Also I finished and got to the credits! so there's that at least XD
> 
> Thank y'all for being interested in this <3

**Author's Note:**

> Listen this idea came to me at 3am on the night of the election and my lack of self control forced me to write it okay ;;; Aphrodite definitely tried her best but, well, shit happens LMAO
> 
> listen man I just rlly love how teeny Zagreus's character model is compared to LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSEE it drives me insane
> 
> Chapter title is from "freak show" by punkinloveee
> 
> anywaysss, y'all can find me on twitter @tiddygirls LMAO I talk a lot of nonsense there, its a nightmare


End file.
